Police in Lusaka have detained a 19 year old girl and her 20 year old boyfriend at Chilenje Police Station awaiting a charge for having faked an abduction.
Police Spokesperson, Rae Hamoonga, says the girl identified as Tumiya Nachivula, was reported missing on October 5, 2024 by her elder sister, Monica Makasa.
Mr. Hamoonga says Ms. Nachivula who was also widely published on social media as missing was believed to have been abducted between 09:00 hours and 10:48 hours on the same day.
He said that following investigations, the police, with the support from the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority-ZICTA, tracked the believed location of the alleged abductee to Chongwe district but attempts to trace her in the area proved unsuccessful due to her phone being switched off.
“Ms. Nachivula last night returned to her father’s residence in Chilenje and was taken to the police station where after questioning, it was revealed that the abduction was fabricated, as she had willingly left to her boyfriend, Joel Saili, aged 20, of Libala South, who happens to be student at Chalimbana university in Chongwe,” said Mr. Hamoonga in a statement issued to RCV News in Lusaka today.
He said that both individuals have been detained in custody waiting to be formally charged.
And Mr. Hamoonga has issued a stern warning to members of the public against making false abduction claims saying that they not only waste police resources but also cause unnecessary panic among the public.
Angel Kasabo
